Chicago Bulls: 3 takeaways from 2019 NBA offseason
1. The Bulls should be thinking playoffs
Lofty expectations should be the reality for this team. If the team doesn’t set high goals for themselves, what is there to achieve? On paper, this team has enough talent to contend for a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. At this point, the Chicago Bulls are closer to the seventh or eighth seed than the top of the lottery.
With that said, it doesn’t mean it’ll be an easy ride for Chicago. The East is quite top heavy, with the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers likely fighting for the top spot.
Keeping in mind that last season’s eighth seed, the Detroit Pistons won 41 games last season, that would mean the Bulls would need a 19-win improvement to match the Pistons’ record last season. That’s quite the task.
They’ll also need some teams to drop off and it’s uncertain which playoff team from a year ago might see a decline.
The Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic and the Pistons, the sixth through eighth seeds last season, all have improved this offseason, though the Nets will be without Kevin Durant all season.
The fifth seed, the Indiana Pacers, should get back a healthy Victor Oladipo by January, and they’re unlikely to drop out of the playoff mix.
The reality is, the Chicago Bulls still need to show that they’re ready to make the jump to playoff contention. The biggest key to success might just be simply staying healthy. The team has seemingly been snake-bitten for years with significant injuries, and last season was no exception.
The combination of Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter missed 123 games in 2018-19 with Chandler Hutchison missing another 38.
The team now has the point guard they’ve been longing for, LaVine and Markkanen have another season under their belts and Carter showed he can be a defensive force. The Bulls should be primed for contention.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1148427158634684417
dark. Next. 2019 NBA free agency tracker - grades for every deal so far
The time for excuses is over. The front office has done enough this offseason to provide Boylen enough to work with to make the playoffs a legitimate goal. It’s time for the team to make the jump.